I think the best way I found to explain what Backpack is to think of it as a virtual "notebook," akin the the physical one that keeps all of your to-do lists, grocery lists, business cards, ideas, etc. in. When you register, you get your own URL and then you can change and add pages - it's a wiki - but with some some organizational tools, like making lists with check boxes that you can check when you're done. Fair warning: a free account will only let you make 5 pages and will not let you store any files.

Considering I spend a ridiculous amount of time in front of a computer (for personal use, school and at work), I think this is could be very handy. You can leave it open, then add and change it easily. It's also much more easy to organize and move bits of info around than it is in a bound notebook or planner.

Backpack's website also has many examples of what it can be used for, which might help you get some ideas of your own. For a personal example, check out a simple to-do list I made. It isn't as flashy as Backpack's examples, but as long as it keeps me organized then it works for me. The test is: will I keep up with it? Will I check it often enough? Give me a few months and I'll get back to you.

2 comments:

Thanks for checking that for me. :) I guess this pages are not public, which is good if you want to keep track of personal stuff. Well at least you can get a feel for Backpack's abilities when you look at their examples page.